Til Death Do We Meet
by AsgardainAvenger
Summary: Pietro was dead. Pietro finds himself in Valhalla after his heroic feat against Ultron, where he meets a cute, young girl. Pietro realizes that even though he can't have his sister by his side, this girl fills the hole in his heart with something more than a sister's love. (Cover by: Makingitup66)
1. Chapter 1

**I liked Pietro, and I wished he didn't die in Age of Ultron. This is my take on his death and time in Valhalla. I am planning on writing Snow Bros (a fanfiction that I'm working on) soon, but I felt like I needed to clear things up a bit with one relationship that is going to be in Snow Bros. I guess the cover picture kind of gave away the relationship, but you'll get better clarification soon. I was planning on a one-shot, but I decided to split this into smaller chapters. Enjoy! :)**

**Chapter One: Judgment Day**

Pietro noticed Ultron hijack the Quinjet long before everyone else. Being new to this whole superhero thing, he had no clue what to do. He was told to get on a boat, but he didn't want to leave his sister alone, not with the risk of her getting hurt. Needless to say, Pietro was confused, stuck between helping his sister or stopping Ultron.

Pietro groaned. He didn't want to make a fatal mistake.

He knocked down a few stray robots and scanned the area. Almost everyone was on the boats. Except Agent Barton. He had apparently noticed something, or someone, and was running towards a building.

Suddenly the Quinjet swooped low over flying city, right above Barton. The Quinjet shot a hail of bullets towards Barton and a small boy whom Pietro could just see the shadow of.

"No!" Pietro shouted, and sprinted as hard as he could to block Barton and the boy from harm. Suddenly his nerves were on fire. His vision was becoming blurry and spotted, but he noticed Barton turn around with a look of pure shock on his face.

Pietro gave a weak grin and choked out, "You didn't see that coming."

Then he collapsed as everything turned black.

* * *

Pietro felt someone standing next to him. His vision cleared and he found himself floating about three inches off the ground. Dust was clearing and he saw Agent Barton carry the boy to boat.

"What?" Pietro asked confused. He felt fine, no pain, nothing. He glanced down and saw that he had no bullet wounds.

"Hello," a voice said softly, causing Pietro to turn. He saw an average sized man in a black tuxedo. His brown hair was covered by a black top hat. His beard was neatly groomed. "My name is Vincent. I'm a reaper. I'm here to take you to Valhalla."

Confusion caused Pietro to look around. He stopped in shock as Agent Barton and Captain America came back towards him. He watched as his body was carried onto the boat before it took off.

"Am I dead?" Pietro asked.

"Yes." Vincent answered. "Are you ready?"

Pietro didn't want to leave, but he didn't want to stay. A sudden lurch of the city would have made Pietro fall down if he wasn't floating. Wind whipped past him as the city stopped ascending. Ultron had completed his plan, the city was falling.

"We cannot stay here," Vincent said. Although they were not touching the ground, they still moved down with the city.

Pietro decided that his best option was to go with the strange man. Vincent extended his hand and Pietro took it, disappearing in a bright flash.

* * *

The room that he appeared in was large but cozy. A tall TV-like screen in front of him stood about twenty feet tall. Two pillars held up the gray ceiling on both sides of the screen. A small platform made out of marble sat in the middle of the room. A metal railing protruded from the front of the platform. Torches lit up the room in a soft glow, showing off the finely carved walls that were made out of grayish-white stone. The floor was a dark brown. A pathway that was lit on both sides led up to the platform. Vincent stood besides Pietro, his hands clasped behind his back. The only entrances or exits were two large, wooden, doors, one on each side of the room. Two guards were stationed per door. The guards wore gold and brown armour and held a sharp-looking spear in their hands.

"Stand on the platform and place your hands on railing," Vincent ordered gently. Pietro obeyed and walked up onto the platform. He placed his hands on the railing. He felt it hum and the screen suddenly lit up. It was split into two columns. Green words appeared on the left side of the screen, with red words on the right. More and more words split into either column with increasing speed.

Pietro didn't know if he was allowed to speak but he had to know what those words meant. They were too small to read, which only made Pietro even more curious to figure out what they meant.

"You're wondering what those words mean," Vincent said, causing Pietro to jump. How had he known what he was thinking?

"The green words are decisions and actions that you did well. The red words are bad things that you did, or 'sins.' This is a moral reading, it determines whether you go to Valhalla or Helheim," Vincent explained.

The screen stopped writing and Vincent looked at the verdict. There were more green words and Pietro let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, especially since he thought that dead people didn't need to breathe.

"Congratulations," Vincent said. "You made it into Valhalla. This way." He motioned towards the door on the left. Pietro stepped down from the platform and followed Vincent. The guards at the door pulled it open. Milky white light swirled behind the door. Pietro knew better than to walk into strange rooms without making sure they were safe first, but Vincent stepped through without any hesitation. Pietro assumed that it was safe and followed suit...

He stepped out into a large plaza. Green trees and colorful flowers were planted around the plaza. People mingled happily. The sun was shining brightly in the blue sky. Laughter rang in the air. Buildings surrounded the plaza. The city looked familiar…

Pietro gasped. It was Sokovia!

"How…" Pietro started but stopped due to shock. It wasn't possible. He just saw Sokovia fall from the sky in ruins.

"The queen decided to model Valhalla after the Land of the Living. We are in the Land of the Dead, but everything here is the same, except for the people. The queen thought it would be easier on people if they lived somewhere familiar," Vincent explained.

Tears welled in Pietro's eyes as his emotions suddenly hit him hard. "Wanda…" Pietro choked out. "Is she alright?"

"I do not know, but the queen might. She usually doesn't give out small favors, but she might make an exception for an Avenger."

"Only for a couple days! I'm hardly an Avenger. They're heroes-"

"And you are not?" Vincent stared questioningly at Pietro. Pietro didn't respond, which made Vincent to continue. "Apparently your morals say otherwise. Everything that you did with Hydra is forgiven, unless you want to carry out a punishment in Helheim until you seem fit for Valhalla."

"No, I'm fine. I'd like to stay here, please." Pietro picked at his sleeve nervously. "Is there a way that I could check on Wanda?"

"You are close with your sister, aren't you?"

Pietro nodded.

"It's not guaranteed that the queen will help you, but you will never know until you try. There is a gathering tonight. Take the subway to the castle and you will find help along the way." With that, Vincent disappeared in a flash of white.

Pietro blinked the spots out of his vision and looked around the plaza. Everything was how he remembered it, which meant…

Pietro suddenly took off towards a familiar building. He still had his super-speed as he sprinted into a residential part of Sokovia. He skidded to a halt at the bottom of stone steps. An apartment building loomed in front of him. He took a deep breath and bounded up the steps. He burst into the lobby and up the staircase that he remembered from his childhood.

He stopped at wooden door. He suddenly got nervous, and knocked slowly after a minute of thinking. Footsteps could be heard as someone answered the door. The door opened and Pietro found himself staring into warm brown eyes.

"Mom…" Pietro breathed.

**This story will also explain a bit why a certain character acted that way in Thor Ragnarok. More is coming soon! Please review! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I know, it's been a while.. I went on a band trip to Chicago, so I didn't have time to work on this story. But, I got to see Hamilton! It was awesome! My friend, Alpaca amtgurly (follow her on Wattpad) was fangirling to no end. It was great!**

**This chapter, you will finally see the special someone whom Pietro meets. ;) Enjoy!**

**Chapter Two: Love At First Sight**

"Pietro? What are you doing here?" a woman with blonde hair and brown eyes asked. "What happened?"

Pietro sighed. His mom stared questioningly at him before giving him a hug.

"Come on in," his mom said and led Pietro to their small kitchen. Everything was how he remembered before the blast destroyed his home. A square table in the middle of the kitchen sat four people. The cabinets were hung from the wall, above the counter and stove. A white refrigerator sat in the corner next to the sink. The only window was above the sink and looked out over the street. The door from the entryway was on the left. The kitchen wasn't fancy, but it was well-kept and cozy.

Pietro's mother moved to the stove and picked up the tea pot that was sitting on top of the stove. She grabbed two cups from the shelf and poured the tea. She handed a cup to Pietro and kept the other for herself.

"I don't know how to feel right now. I'm glad that I am able to see you again, but I wasn't imagining it to be so soon. You're so young!" his mother exclaimed as she sat down across from Pietro.

"I know. It was...unexpected," Pietro replied and took a sip of tea. "Dead people still need to eat?" he asked.

"Yes. We were told that if we didn't, we would fade from existence. There have only been a couple cases of people fading away due to starvation in the span of a nearly a thousand years, so it's rare."

Pietro nodded. He set his cup down and brushed his hair behind his ear.

"How did you…"

"End up here?" Pietro cut in. He sighed and explained in detail about Hydra, his powers, Avengers, Ultron, and his death.

His mother was crying at the end. "Pietro, I'm so sorry! You and Wanda...you went through so much! Your father and I never wanted that for you! I'm so sorry!"

"It wasn't your fault. We were okay. I mean, Wanda and I had each other. We kept each other safe, as well as we could."

"And how is Wanda?" she asked.

"I don't know. I was told that there is a chance that I could see her," Pietro said.

His mother raised an eyebrow. "How? It's nearly impossible to leave."

"I'm going to see the queen," Pietro announced. "She might help me."

"Pietro, I know that the queen is kind, but she probably won't give out small favors to citizens."

"I know, but I have to try. If I don't try, I will be letting Wanda down and I can't do that to her."

Pietro's mother stood up and gathered the cups. She set them in the sink and turned back to Pietro. "If you're going to see her, you need to wear something nicer. How about we go shopping? I'm not an expert in men's clothes, but I'll go with you."

Pietro noticed something for the first time. "Where is dad?" he asked.

"He's at work. Now let's go. We don't have much time if you are to see the queen tonight."

XOXOXOXOXO

They spent the day shopping and catching up. They stopped at a cafe for lunch. Sokovia was crowded with unfamiliar people, but it was still familiar. Pietro eventually picked out a gray tuxedo and a light blue tie. His mom helped him get ready to meet the queen. She helped him fix his hair and tie his tie. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him to come back. Pietro hugged her and ran down to the subway station and barely made it on before it took off.

The ride to the castle was quicker than Pietro imagined. The subway stopped at a station and he got off. He found a map and followed a steady stream of well-dressed people towards the castle.

The castle was surrounded by a large courtyard that bloomed with flowers and trees. The courtyard was stone, but the castle was silver. It looked like a large, triangular, pipe organ. He followed the crowd into the castle's ballroom. The ceiling arched high above the stone floor. Pillars of finely carved marble held up the ceiling. The pillars were cream-colored with shiny silver flakes embedded in the marble. The floor was made out of black granite. Balls of fire that were set in silver bowls that were connected to the pillars lit up the room with a soft glow. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Green satin curtains were pulled back from the windows. The room was so large that Pietro had a hard time finding the other end of the room.

Tables were set up at the right edge of the room. Food of all kinds covered the tables. Chairs and circular tables were pushed to the side to make room for people to dance. Pietro found out that the ball room had a fancy bar on the other end, near the food tables. Instead of an orchestra that Pietro expected, there was a DJ who played music from unseen speakers. Women in dresses and men in elebroate suits mingled. Laughter and music rang in the air.

Pietro waded through the crowd. He contemplated asking someone where the queen was, but everyone was either conversing with one another, dancing, or snacking on food. He also didn't know anyone here, and he was too shy to bother them.

Lost in his thoughts, Pietro didn't watch where he was going. He turned around after looking near the entrance when he ran right into someone else. The other person yelped and fell backwards. Pietro moved quickly and caught the person by the wrist before they fell all the way to the ground. He glanced down and found himself staring into the eyes of a beautiful, teenage girl.

"I'm so sorry!" Pietro apologize and pulled the girl to her feet. "I wasn't watching where I was going…"

"It's alright," the girl said. She was just a little shorter than him, but paler and had long, jet-black hair. Her long, sparkly, green dress fit around her slim body perfectly. The neckline hung just off her shoulders. The hem of the dress pooled around her ankles, but there was a slit on the right side that allowed her to move more freely. She had high cheekbones and a friendly smile. Her green-gray eyes stared kindly back at Pietro.

"I-" Pietro was star struck. The girl laughed as Pietro's jaw dropped open. He cleared his throat and extended his hand. "I-I-I'm Pietro, Pietro Maximoff."

The girl took his hand and shook it. She giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear in a cute, flirty gesture. "I take you're new here. I'm Hela, Queen of Valhalla, Ruler of Helheim, and the Goddess of Death."

"Queen?!" Pietro exclaimed. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry your highness! I didn't mean to rung into you." Pietro hurriedly bowed in front of her, which made Hela laugh.

"It's alright, Pietro. You can skip the formalities," Hela assured. "It's kind of impossible to not run into someone with a crowd this large."

Pietro stood up straight and nervously shifted his feet. "So, um...how are you?"

Hela laughed. "I'm good, thanks for asking. How about you? Is everything going fine? I understand if its a little difficult to transfer from the Land of the Living to Valhalla."

"Oh, yeah. It's going fine. I met my mom, which was nice. I haven't seen her since I was ten…" Pietro's voice faded as a flashback of the bombing distracted him. He shook his head and came back to reality. "I was meaning to ask you something."

"Yes?" Hela asked expectantly.

"I was wondering...I have a sister who's alive. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. Is there a way I could see her?" Pietro asked.

"Oh, yes, of course!" Hela exclaimed. "Come this way!" She disappeared into the crowd. Pietro quickly followed so he wouldn't lose her.

Hela led the way into the throne room. The design was similar expect there were larger windows and steps that led up to a green and silver throne.

"You won't be able to see her for very long, but this should help." Hela grabbed a remote control from a small stand next to the throne and pressed a button. A screen lit up near the bottom of the steps. It focused on a scene from the TV show that Pietro recognized as _Friends._

"Oops, sorry! I'm kind of obsessed." Hela flipped through the 'channels' until she found what she was looking for.

An image of a bedroom flickered onto the screen. Pietro saw Wanda laying on the bed, clearly upset. Vision was next to her, talking calmly- comforting her, Pietro noted. He decided that he liked Vision.

"She's alive, but traumatized. It'll take a while for her, but she'll be alright. She's with the Avengers," Hela said.

Pietro heaved a sigh of relief. "Can I talk to her?"

Hela shook her head. "Even if I had enough power to let you into the Land of the Living, it might freak her out even more. I would suggest to just check in once and while. I'm sure the Avengers will take care of her."

Pietro nodded, but he was disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Pietro, but there's nothing more that I can do."

"I understand," Pietro replied.

It was quiet as Pietro watched Vision comfort Wanda.

"You can come back anytime you want," Hela offered.

"Really?" Pietro perked up.

Hela shrugged. "I don't know what it's like to have siblings, but…" Hela paused. It seemed like she was thinking. She shook her head to clear her mind. "I can tell that you both are close. You're a hero, Pietro. I'm sure that she is proud of that, even though she is griefing."

"A hero? I'm hardly a hero, not like Captain America or Thor. You know Thor?" Pietro asked. "I thought Valhalla was part of Norse mythology?"

"I've never personally met him..." Hela furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "I think, anyways… Pietro you _are _a hero. You saved that little boy. Besides, how else did you end up here? You must be doing something right if you ended up here? Valhalla forgives you for your time with Hydra. Plus, you and Wanda were young. You didn't have anywhere to go after the bombing. If Hydra is one thing, they are persuasive; they are able to convince other people because they believe that they are right. It wasn't your fault."

"But I _signed_ up for the experiments," Pietro pressed. "And they _worked!"_

"They worked because the powers were already inside you! That's why the others who signed up failed. You and Wanda are special. You're mutants."

"Mutants?" Pietro looked offended.

"It's not a bad thing. It just means that you have the X-gene. Your powers would have woken up by themselves, the Mind Stone only helped that to happen sooner," Hela explained.

Pietro thought quietly to himself as what Hela said sunk in. He knew that he was faster than his classmates; he even broke a few track records at his school.

Hela let Pietro think. She turned off the TV screen and replaced the remote. "I have to get back to the hall. Do you want to come with? I don't have a partner," Hela offered hopefully. She'd never admit it outloud to public, but she thought that the mortal was kind of cute.

"Uh, yeah, of course…" Pietro replied.

Hela led the way back to the ballroom. They ended up dancing the rest of the night, and Pietro found himself falling for the girl queen.

**In case you didn't understand the pipe organ reference/comparison, it's Asgard's castle except silver instead of gold. I also borrowed the mutant idea from the comics since Pietro and Wanda are technically mutants and their dad is Magneto. Helen's personality might be different from Thor Ragnarok, but I'll explain why later. Please review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**March 31st is International Loki Day!**

**Chapter Three: Having a Hela Good Time**

Pietro found himself coming back to the castle at least once a week. Hela welcomed him every time with a bright smile. They would check on Wanda and then talk until Hela had to tend to some royal issues.

One bright, sunny day, Pietro was over at the castle. The guards had gotten used to Pietro being around so much that they just let Pietro in without question. It was almost a month after his death. He had decided that Wanda was safe now, so he only came over to see Hela. As per usual, Hela was sitting on her throne, this time cross legged. She was watching _Friends._

"Oh, hey!" Hela exclaimed when she saw Pietro. Pietro smiled back. Hela stood up, turned off her "TV' screen, and descended down the stairs to his side.

"What brings you here?" Hela asked, jokingly.

Pietro laughed. "It's always the same reason, as you know quite clearly."

"Do I now?" Hela teased.

"Of course you do."

Hela shrugged. "Just tell me, I like to hear it. It boosts my confidence."

Pietro smiled before saying: "You."

They both didn't know when they officially started dating- they both kind of guessed with all the flirting going on between the two that there was something a bit more than a friendship.

Hela giggled. "Thank you. You're the best."

They decided to head to the royal garden before lunch to talk. Butterflies flitted around the colorful flowers. Trees covered stone benches in cool shade. Everything seemed so real in Valhalla.

Hela and Pietro walked on the stone path, making small talk.

"How's your parents?" Hela asked.

"They're okay. My mom wants me to get a job, but I don't know what to do. There's really nothing interesting in Sokovia," Pietro replied.

"I could always use an adviser," Hela suggested.

"Don't you have a council?" Pietro asked.

Hela shrugged. "I do, but…"

"But what?"

"The council is wise, but hard to control. Half the time I think that they are jealous of me, since I'm the daughter of Death himself, so naturally I fall heir to the throne. Plus, Hades and Pluto argue all the time so I have to play referee for their fights. It's tough being the queen over a bunch of gods of death and what-not," Hela complained. "Vincent helps sometimes, but he can only do so much. I need an adviser."

"I don't know. I'm not the best at suggesting things or making decisions. I'm not the advising type," Pietro said.

Hela frowned in thought. She suddenly perked up happily. "The role of prince is open right now."

"Really?" Pietro raised an eyebrow. He didn't know how he felt about having royal responsibilities. "I don't kn-"

"Since I'm queen, I can technically make you prince, if that's what you want," Hela suggested. "That way you can have a job _with_ me."

Pietro thought about it for a while. "I-"

"Pietro, it'll be great! You can help me, and we can be close together. I can't really make you king, unless we get married, but-"

"King? Married?" The thought of getting married so early in their relationship was so absurd that Pietro burst out laughing. Hela realized the craziness of what she said and burst into a fit of giggles. They laughed until they were breathless and red in the face.

"Ha ha, ah…" Hela wiped tears from her eyes as her laughs died down. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Okay, wow. That was-"

"Funny?" Pietro finished for her. He grinned, which almost made Hela start up again.

"Yeah, but seriously though, being prince is entirely up to you," Hela said.

"Don't you have any royal family who can help?" Pietro asked as he wiped his own tears from his cheeks.

Hela shook her head. "Death is, well, _dead_. I never met my mother, and as far as I know, I don't have any siblings. I'm the only surviving heir, and probably will be until the end of time."

"End of time?"

"Did I ever tell you that I'm immortal? I can't die because I am neither alive nor dead. I'm just in between, which makes me the queen until I decide to give it up or something," Hela explained.

"That's rough," Pietro said. They had stopped walking and were sitting by a small pond in the center of a group of trees. The sunlight was streaming down in between the branches, lighting up the area in a yellow glow.

Hela hugged her knees close to her chest. "I guess it's not all bad, although I really have nobody to talk too just for personal issues. Everything has to be professional and all that jazz. Vincent has been the closest person whom I call family, but even then I really can't talk about everything in him. So, yeah, being queen has its perks and all, but it's also quite lonely."

Pietro wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. "I think I will be prince, if it's okay with you. So you won't be lonely."

Hela smiled. "I really didn't mean to persuade you like that. It's just-"

"It's fine, Hela. I like you and you like me. There's probably nothing better than working together, now is there?"

"I guess not."

"Then don't worry. I'll make your job '_Hela' _a lot better."

Hela raised her head in realization. "You did _not_ just make that pun!"

Pietro grinned. "I just _did_!"

They fell over laughing again. Hela rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky through the leaves. Pietro flopped backward and lay next to her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Hela asked. "Apparently Death had made Valhalla unequal in the afterlife. Those who were had done the best things got to live next to the castle. Just regular citizens lived in a plain old field. Hades helped him design it, but I didn't like it. Why not just model the Land of the Dead after the Land of the Living. If you really wanted too, you could visit other planets here."

"Sounds like Death was stuck in the old ways of ruling," Pietro said.

"Yeah. His castle was made out of bones. You should have seen his throne. It was horrid! And plus, he had _no_ modern technology. I installed a WiFi network unique only to Valhalla."

"WiFi? I never knew that Asgardians knew about WiFi," Pietro commented.

"Yeah, well, how else am I supposed to use Snapchat and watch _Friends_?"

"You're such a teenage girl, you know that?" Pietro teased.

Hela smiled. "I am both older and younger than that." She glanced up at the sky. It was nearly eleven o'clock. "We should get back. I have a council meeting at noon."

Pietro bounced to his feet and took her hand. "I'll help you up, your highness."

Hela blushed and let Pietro pull her to her feet. She brushed herself off and the two headed back to the castle.

It was a wonderful day.

**Have a wonderful day! Please review! More coming soon! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the wait. It took me a while to come up with ideas for this chapter. (Please note that I changed the ending to this story that so that it would coincide with my most recent story as of now: _A Little Bit of Mischief). _Anyhoo, enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Four: Ragnarok**

Pietro accepted his role as prince earlier that week. Hela had gotten so excited that she had started making preparations almost right away. The grand hall was decorated with blue streamers, banners, and other fancy decorations. As Hela placed the prince's crown on his head, Pietro realized that he knew where he belonged. He hated leaving his sister behind, but here in Valhalla, he had a purpose. It was a purpose that Hydra nor the Avengers could ever help him achieve. Not only was he an Avenger, but he was also the Prince of Valhalla, and it was _his_ job to help maintain order in the universe.

XOXOXOXOXO

The people loved him. Pietro's ego grew with all the attention he was getting. Hela often joked that it was only because of his super speed that he was able to keep all the praise and compliments organized in his head. Pietro always had a funny retort at the ready when she teased him.

Pietro also got to meet many famous people who visited the castle or royal grounds. He found out that Hela and Amelia Earhart were good friends. Apparently they had met after Amelia's strange disappearance over the Pacific Ocean and they watched Netflix shows together. Amelia also helped build an airforce for Valhalla in case they were ever attacked or decided to help those who fell victim to attacks.

Hela introduced Pietro to a nice old man. She said that he was fairly new to Valhalla, but he had the best stories to tell. The man had white hair, glasses, and the kindest smile. Hela said that his name was Stan Lee. Stan Lee told stories every Friday in the castle, and they always drew a crowd.

It was nearly two years after Pietro's death. Hela and Pietro grew closer as a couple and soon Valhalla was prospering more than ever under their rule. They hosted their own Super Bowls and music award shows. Pietro all but fanboyed when he got to meet Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson in person. Several new additions were added since everyone and every creature that died ended up either in Valhalla or Helheim. Pietro still checked in on Wanda once a month to make sure that she was alright. He was surprised to find out that the Avengers had fought and disbanded, but he was glad that Vision and Wanda made it out alright.

Everything was going perfectly fine…

Then, in November of 2017, Hela started having serious headaches. They were so bad that she had to lay down for hours before she could move without passing out. Pietro tried to get help, but nobody knew what caused them or how to cure them. Not even the most elite doctors knew what to do. Hela said it was fine, but Pietro knew that it wasn't normal.

They were sitting in Hela's bedroom room watching _Supernatural_. Hela loved the show and decided that she would rewatch it from the first season with Pietro. They were already on season two.

"You know, demons, ghosts, vampires, and werewolves are real. Demons are the worst since I have to stop them from escaping Helheim," Hela explained. "I'm surprised that the show is this accurate. Usually, people don't know about these things, but they obviously know what they're doing. I don't know how, but it's kind of cool."

"Really?" Pietro asked. They were sitting on her lounge couch. He had his arm around her and they were snuggled in a blanket. It was "Netflix and Chill" without the "_Chill."_

"Yeah," Hela said. She rested her head on his shoulder. "It's fascinating. I don't know a whole lot about magic, but the spells sound correct."

"Hm," Pietro mused. He turned back to the TV.

Suddenly, Hela groaned and clutched her head in pain. Pietro sat up straight and helped her sit up.

"Another headache?" he asked.

"Yeah...augh!" Hela collapsed and fell off the couch. Pietro tried to catch her, but she rolled onto her knees with her head in her hands.

"I'll get Vincent," Pietro exclaimed. He took off and found Vincent in the breakroom. He explained the situation and sprinted back to Hela's bedroom.

Vincent was already kneeling next to Hela by the time Pietro got back. Hela was laying on her back, her eyes scrunched close in pain.

"How is she?" Pietro asked.

Vincent looked up. "It's worse. Much worse. I don't know what to do."

"There has to be _something!_ A spell or cure or…"

Pietro was cut off as a pulse of energy knocked him onto his back. He stared in horror as a green and black portal opened right where the window stood.

"Pietro," Vincent ordered. "Get back!"

Another wave sent Vincent flying right into Pietro, knocking them both back down again. Hela screamed as a splitting headache ripped through her. Her black leggings and _Panic! At the Disco _T-shirt morphed into a single black and green outfit. She wasn't a girl anymore, she was a mature woman.

"Hela?" Pietro asked quietly. He pushed Vincent off him and reached out to her. Vincent saw this and pulled him back.

"No, it's too dangerous," Vincent said.

"But she's hurt!" Pietro pointed out.

"I know what it is, Pietro. It's a curse. Hela was cursed, and it just got lifted. We can't do anything for her until the side effects wear off," Vincent explained.

A curse? Why would anyone curse Hela? And why wouldn't she do something about it? Did she know? These questions burned in Pietro's mind as he watched his girlfriend groan in pain.

Hela groggily stood up, but the headache left her blind. She stumbled backward, tripped over the rug, and fell...right into the portal.

"NOOO!" Pietro shouted. He tried to grab her hand, but it was too late. She was gone.

XOXOXOXOXO

The next few days were agony. Pietro had to control Valhalla without Hela there to lead. He tried to be patient and wait for Hela to come back. Vincent tried to reassure Pietro that Hela was fine and that it would take time for her mind to clear, but nevertheless, Pietro continued to worry.

Valhalla worried about their queen along with Pietro. Vincent said that he sensed a powerful soul enter the Judgement Room the same time the portal opened. There might have been a connection there, so Pietro, being curious, decided to do his own research.

Pietro found the person sitting in the room that was reserved for those particular souls who were so close to being sent to Valhalla or Helheim. There, the souls awaited for their trial with the queen, council, and jury. The room was similar to the Judgment Room, except that there were couches, smaller bedrooms, and a large dining area.

The room was empty except for a couple of people sitting on at a table playing chess and an old man sitting alone looking out the window. Some basic instinct told Pietro to question the man.

"Excuse me," Pietro said to the man. The man looked up. He had white shoulder-length hair and a white beard. His right eye was covered with a leather patch. He was wearing a cream-colored jacket, a button shirt, and black pants. "Could I sit here?"

The man nodded. Something about the man's presence told Pietro that he was the powerful soul that entered earlier.

"Can I help you?" the man asked.

Pietro shifted in his seat. The last time he interrogated someone was in Africa and it didn't turn out well. Pietro cleared his throat and sat up straighter. "I am Pietro Maximoff, Prince of Valhalla. The queen is missing and I suspect that _you_ had something to do with it."

"Prince, huh?" the man scoffed. "What is a mortal doing as Prince of Valhalla? She is much worse than I feared…"

"When you say "she," you mean Hela, right?" Pietro questioned.

"Ah, yes. My granddaughter," the man replied grimly.

"Granddaughter?" Pietro raised an eyebrow.

"Oh pardon me for not inducing myself. I am Odin All-Father, King of Asgard."

"Odin, as in Thor's dad?" Pietro shook his head. It was a bit strange to sit in front of Thor's father.

"That is who I am," Odin confirmed.

"You said that Hela is your granddaughter. How is that possible since Thor doesn't have any kids. I know, I met him."

"Technically she is not related to me by blood. She is Loki's daughter. Loki is adopted; we have no other relation."

Pietro froze in thought. It seemed impossible, but he could see it. Loki and Hela both had pale complexions and dark hair. They _did_ look similar.

"Hela said that her father is Death…"

"He is."

"But how?" Pietro asked. He was confused. If Death was Hela's father and she was Loki's daughter, _who _was Hela's _mother_?"

Odin leaned forward, resting his arms on the table in front of him. He clasped his hands and stared right into Pietro's eyes. "Loki made a mistake when he was younger, several mistakes in fact. Hela was an outcome of one of those mistakes. He met Death, right when Death was looking for an heir to his throne. Loki was too confident in his magic, but he was young and foolish. He couldn't control his own magic very well, so Death assumed that Loki was a young girl. Death found a worthy subject, and I suppose you can figure out the rest," Odin explained sullenly.

The new information overwhelmed Pietro. It was disgusting and confusing. Pietro was suddenly glad that Death was dead. He didn't like Loki since he _did_ attack New York, but he felt bad for the god of mischief. He didn't know how old Loki was when Hela was born, but he could imagine that it would be tough no matter how old someone was.

"I had to take action," Odin continued. "I couldn't have a prince of Asgard being a parent at such a young age, and especially with monsters as children. So I found a spell and erased their memories of each other. Hela beliefs that she is _my_ daughter now. It is better this way. I left Hela in Valhalla, where Vincent, the lead reaper, raised her."

Pietro suddenly got mad. "Monsters?! Do you really think that Hela is a _monster_?! She is the sweetest, kindest, most caring person I have ever met, and you call her a monster? I don't know what other things you have done, but maybe there is a reason why you are sitting here, waiting for a trial. I know about Loki and his adoption. Thor told me. Maybe Loki is right, you are a terrible excuse for a father. Lying to your son whom _you_ decided to adopt, cursing, and abandoning your niece; who does that?"

"If you met Hela's brothers, you would understand why they are monsters. You don't know the full story. Loki was a hard child to control. He didn't listen to me very well and he was always getting into trouble. I couldn't let his mistakes be judged by the citizens, and possibly ruin his chance at having a successful future. You just don't understand-"

"No, I completely understand. You didn't like Loki very much since he was different from everyone else. The fact that he had kids scared you because you didn't want more of him around. I think that you need to rethink your decisions and reflect on why you are stuck in this room," Pietro all but shouted. The two who were playing chess glanced at them in annoyance before turning back to their game.

Odin was growing angry. He didn't like being scolded by a pesky mortal. He stood up, towering over Pietro. "How would you feel if your son had four kids before he even reached his teen years? Would you let him grow up in shame, with his mistakes following him around for the rest of his life?" Odin growled angrily.

"You could have helped him in some other way," Pietro muttered, his voice sounding scared and small compared with Odin's booming voice. "And I still don't like how you called Hela a monster. Maybe if you got the chance to meet her, you would realize how wonderful and sweet she is. But no, you kept her locked up, forced her into a responsibility that she was too young to fully understand, and gave her false memories. You may think that your actions were right, but you still messed up."

Odin opened his mouth to interject, but Pietro stood up and held up a hand. "No, let me say something. I may not know a lot about parenting, but a father should _never_ leave his child alone, especially not when he or she needs your help. No wonder Loki hates you."

With that, Pietro spun on his heel and strode probably a little too fast out of there. He was fuming mad. He started to see why Loki despised the man. Pietro stomped back to the castle and sat hard down on the throne.

He was sulking there when suddenly, a navy blue portal opened right at the bottom of the steps. Four figures fell tumbled out of the portal, all landing rather ungracefully through before it closed. A sonic boom pulsed through Valhalla, shaking the walls of the castle and moving the ground. Pietro immediately stood up and watched as one of the four figures got to their feet.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Pietro demanded.

A boy with dark hair in an ivy league cut and a navy blue cape was the one who got up first. He brushed himself off and glanced down at the other three. Hela was sitting with her arms curled around her knees, crying and muttering something to herself as she slowly rocked back and forth. A boy with curly dark hair and an orange cape was clinging to a green-haired boy. The green-haired boy had a grimace on his face and was looking slightly sick. The first boy looked around the throne room, his mouth dropping open at the splendor of it. Everyone in the group was wearing armour that looked very similar to what Pietro had seen Asgardians wear.

"Where are we?" the boy with the navy cape asked the Pietro who had already gotten to his feet and was standing in an aggressive position. Pietro was staring warily at the group, his light blue eyes blazing with suspicion.

"Valhalla, why?" the Pietro questioned.

"And where is that at?" the boy asked.

"It's a realm," Pietro said. He blinked and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "And usually people don't randomly show up here unless you're dead."

"WE'RE DEAD?!" the boy with the orange cape shouted in distress. He had just gotten to his feet with the green-haired boy's help but his knees went weak and he would have fallen if the other boy didn't catch him.

"I don't think so," Pietro said, trying to sound reassuring but there was doubt in his voice. He wasn't as experienced as Hela was and he still had a hard time as prince handling certain responsibilities. "But how else could you get here? Valhalla is the afterlife, the place everyone goes when they die."

The green-haired boy glared over at the first boy. "I thought we were safe. What happened? Did you mess up again?"

The navy cape boy held up his hands in defense. "I thought that I got us out of there in time! I've never done something that quick before but surely we were out of the way!"

"Well, _blondy _over here says that the only way to get here is if you die! How else would we wind up here?!" the green-haired boy shouted and stood up, leaving the orange cape boy to sit alone on the floor. "Face it, we're dead!"

"We're not dead," Hela spoke up from the floor. She hadn't moved from her spot. Tears ran down her pale cheeks, messing up her black mascara in the process. She stared at the floor, her voice wavering as she continued, "We're here because of me. All of this my fault!"

Hela collapsed into a fit of sobs as everyone except the orange cape boy, who was lost in his own misery, stared at her.

"What does that mean? We're here because of her?" the green-haired boy asked out loud.

Pietro answered for Hela. "She's the queen of this realm. I guess that whatever you tried to do was affected by her."

"She's the queen?" navy cape boy exclaimed.

"Cool but do you know this," the green-haired boy questioned the man.

"I'm her boyfriend and the prince of this realm," Pietro answered, his eyes filled with pity at Hela's sobbing form.

"She has a boyfriend?!" the green-haired boy exclaimed angrily.

"And what is wrong with that?" Pietro snapped, his temper rising. "I don't know who you are; as far as I know, you could have kidnapped her! One of you opened a portal and she _disappeared_ in a portal a couple of days ago! How do I know that you didn't do something bad to her? I mean, she's _crying_!"

"We're her brothers, _you jackass!_" the green-haired boy shouted, stepping up close to Pietro. Up close, Pietro could see that a vertical scar ran across the boy's left eye and that his eyes were a startling color of golden-yellow. "Don't you _ever_ assume that we would hurt her when she's our little sister!"

The orange cape boy whimpered and hid behind the navy cape boy in fear of the green-haired boy's anger.

"She doesn't have any brothers!" Pietro snapped back.

The green-haired boy let out a fake laugh. "Oh, puh-lease! Why would we lie?"

"Because maybe you did kidnap her. We were just sitting there, watching TV, when she got a headache and disappeared into a portal that was very similar to the one that you just came through!"

"I'm not the one who's in charge of that. Maybe you're the one who messed with her. I've never seen her until now!"

"That's hard to believe. Prove it!"

"I don't need to prove anything to _you_!

Pietro and the boy's argument kept increasing in volume, each resorting to insults, wild accusations, and swears. The orange cape boy, the poor kid, was absolutely terrified and pressed closer into the navy cape boy's side, clutching his cape as if it were a safety blanket.

Just when the argument almost reached to turning physical, Hela stood up, clenched her fists by her side, and shouted: "ENOUGH!"

Her voice bounced off the walls and echoed through the throne room, silencing the group. The green-haired boy, who had his fist raised to hit the man, lowered it, and stared at Hela in shock.

"Why are we arguing?" Hela questioned, her voice strained from crying. Her mascara ran down her face and her long, dark hair was tangled in several places. She looked like she was on the verge of collapsing and was slightly shaking.

"Pietro, please," Hela said, addressing the blonde man. "I don't blame them for anything. You have a sister, Pietro, you should know. I always felt like part of life was missing, like something was there that I couldn't remember. And when I had that headache, it felt like what I was missing came back but for some reason, it was replaced with memories I never had. Fake memories of wars that I never fought in, a false father I never had. I don't know what happened but those memories are not true. I've been here in Valhalla for all my life. I never went to Asgard until now."

"Hela, but how do you know that these three are your brothers?" Pietro asked. His voice was a lot quieter and gentler, even though he was still standing ready to move in case the green-haired boy sucker-punched him. "If you've never been to Asgard until recently, how can you tell that you are related to them?"

"She was just a baby," the boy with the navy cape said, his voice surprisingly calm despite witnessing the argument not even a minute before. "She wouldn't remember because of that but we were separated shortly after she was born. Separated for reasons that I have yet to understand.

"You may not trust us but please note that we are not here to hurt anyone. We are all confused and a little scared of this new situation," he continued. "If anything, maybe knowing our names will help. I'm Sleipnir and I'm the oldest. Jormungandr is the second oldest and although he may seem...difficult, he means well."

Jormungandr rolled his eyes at Sleipnir's introduction, earning a skeptical look from Pietro.

Sleipnir placed a gentle hand on Fenris's shoulder, who peeked out from behind Sleipnir's cape. "This is Fenris, he's the second youngest. Hela, as you surely know already, is the youngest. We mean no harm. All we want is to find out the truth of what happened and why we were separated."

"Abandoned," Jormungandr corrected, crossing his arms in front of his chest, still glaring at Pietro.

Pietro relaxed a little bit but kept his eye on Jormungandr. He gave Sleipnir a nod and backed away to stand next to Hela. Hela, instinctively, leaned her head against Pietro's shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

"I think I know what might have happened," Pietro offered up. "There's an old man who showed up here shortly before Hela disappeared. I talked to him since he's waiting for a trial to decide whether he goes to Valhalla or Helheim. His fate is not decided yet and everyone was talking about it so I went and visited him. He talked about the same thing that you are but he thinks that he never did anything wrong. I'm not completely sure but I think that he's your grandfather."

The two older brothers' mouths dropped open and they exchanged glances.

"He's dead?" Jormungandr asked, feeling a mix of excitement, triumph, and confusion. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"Because you were yelling at me!" Pietro complained and then quickly switched subjects when Jormungandr glared at him. "I'm not sure but maybe his death caused all of your blocked off memories to come back. I don't know how spells and magic and curses work but maybe his death caused some side effects. I mean, a flood of Asgardian souls came in just recently. The reapers are having a hard time trying to sort them out."

"It's not him," Hela said, her voice barely above a whisper. She raised her head and looked sadly at the group as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "It was me. I killed all of them! I wanted the throne of Asgard and they stood in my way so I wiped them out. Innocent lives, _children_! How could I?!"

Pietro turned to Hela and placed his hands on her shoulders as sobs racked her body. "Hela, _babe_, it wasn't your fault. You didn't know what you were doing," Pietro said, trying to calm her down but she shook her head.

"I knew _exactly_ what I was doing! Most of Asgard is gone, because of _me_! And they wouldn't have escaped if Asgard wasn't destroyed. Asgard is in pieces and it's all my fault! Their home is ruined! Asgard is _ruined!_

"I'm a queen and now I have to deal with their souls. What would they think of a queen who kills her own citizens? I slaughtered them as if they weren't my people! I'm a murderer! A murderous queen!"

Hela's knees gave out from under her and she collapsed. Pietro knelt down beside her and tried to pull her into a hug but she pushed him away.

"No!" Hela cried. "I don't want to hurt you, too!"

Pietro, heartbroken, gently grabbed Hela's wrist and pulled her to her feet. She tried to break free but Pietro ignored her protests and gently walked her away from the group. He looked over his shoulder at the trio, who were at a loss for words, and gave them a sad smile.

"I'm taking her somewhere else to calm down," Pietro said. "Feel free to make yourself at home. The guards can show you to your rooms."

With that, Pietro faced forward and led Hela, who had reverted back to quiet sobs, through the large double doors of the throne room, leaving the trio to stand in silence. He led her to her bedroom and sat her down on her bed.

Pietro knelt down in front of her and pulled her into a hug. Hela fell forward and sobbed into his shoulder.

They stayed like that for the rest of the night. Pietro knew that Hela needed some time to calm down and figure out what happened. He hoped upon hope that everything would get better, soon.

Yet, things would only get worse...

**The End…**

**For Now.**

**This story is a prequel, leading right up to Infinity War. I have a story (Resurrection) that follows almost directly after this if you are interested and what more. I plan on writing Snow Bros soon, so don't worry. I just wanted to clarify one relationship in that, so I wrote this. I also really don't like Odin, so he might seem worse in this chapter. In the myths _and_ the comics, Hela is Loki's daughter. I didn't like how they changed that in Thor Ragnarok, so I tried to write my own explanation and change it. If you are unclear on how it works, leave a review, or PM me.**

**See you soon! :)**


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